Door lock with safety release

ABSTRACT

A lock structure for an upwardly acting door of a truck van wherein a latch bolt and a manually engageable actuating handle are pivotally mounted upon a door for movement about a common axis which is substantially perpendicular to the plane of the door when it is in the closed position. The latch bolt has an elongated arcuate hook portion adapted to extend below the lower edge of the door for engagement with a catch mounted on the truck bed. The actuating handle is pivotally mounted on the mounting plate which is fixedly secured to the external side of the door. The latch bolt is pivotally supported on a release pin which extends through the door and is accessible solely from the inside of the door. The inner end of the release pin has a release lever coupled thereto which, when actuated, pulls the latch pin towards the interior of the truck van whereby the pin is disconnected from the latch bolt. The door can then be opened from the interior of the truck van and the lock structure, except for the latch bolt, remains fixed to the door.

United States Patent Galbreath et al.

DOOR LOCK WITH SAFETY RELEASE inventors: Gerald W. Galbreath; Alfred T.

Dietrich; George E. Mosbarger, all of Marion. Ohio Overhead Door Corporation, Dallas. Tex.

Filed: Apr. 2, I974 Appl. No.: 457,167

[73] Assignee:

References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 1l/l967 Crosswell 292/92 4/l974 Galbreath........................... 292/100 Primary Examiner-Robert L. Wolfe Altorney, Agent, or FirmWoodhams, Blanchard and Flynn May 13, 1975 [57] ABSTRACT A lock structure for an upwardly acting door of a truck van wherein a latch bolt and a manually engageable actuating handle are pivotally mounted upon a door for movement about a common axis which is substantially perpendicular to the plane of the door when it is in the closed position. The latch bolt has an elongated arcuate hook portion adapted to extend below the lower edge of the door for engagement with a catch mounted on the truck bed. The actuating handle is pivotally mounted on the mounting plate which is fixedly secured to the external side of the door. The latch bolt is pivotally supported on a release pin which extends through the door and is accessible solely from the inside of the door. The inner end of the release pin has a release lever coupled thereto which, when actuated, pulls the latch pin towards the interior of the truck van whereby the pin is disconnected from the latch bolt. The door can then be opened from the interior of the truck van and the lock structure, except for the latch bolt, remains fixed to the door.

10 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures is i l l 7mH1771 11/1, 4 MA in DOOR LOCK WITH SAFETY RELEASE FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates in general to a lock structure for an upwardly acting truck door and, more specifically, to a lock structure provided with a releasable latch bolt which can be released solely from the interior of the truck van to thus disengage the latch bolt from the door to permit opening of the door from the interior of the van, even though the door is initially locked on the outside.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION US. Pat. No. 3,642,314 discloses a highly acceptable lock structure for truck doors, particularly for up wardly acting, horizontally sectioned doors. Although this lock structure is highly satisfactory, it cannot be opened from within the truck van by a person acciden tally trapped inside of the van. Although being trapped within a truck van is usually only an inconvenience and would not ordinarily present any threat to the life of a person so trapped, the situation is radically different in the case, for example, of refrigerated trucks using ex pandible gas, such as a nitrogen system. If a person is trapped within a truck van, when the gas system is op erating, the trapped person would rapidly suffocate or freeze to death if there was no way of opening the door from inside the van,

To overcome the above problem, US. Pat. No. 3,352,585, owned by the assignee of this application, describes a door lock having a safety release device as sociated therewith for permitting the door lock to be unlatched from the interior of the truck van. While the safety lock structure disclosed in this patent has proven highly acceptable, nevertheless it was felt that both the structure and mode of operation of the safety release device of this patent could be significantly improved. For example, in the lock structure of the abovementioned patent, when the safety release device is actuated to permit opening of the door from inside the truck van, the complete door latch structure is discon- 'KZCICCI from the door which, in some circumstances, nay result in the door lock structure being accidentally 0st or misplaced.

Our copending application Ser, No. 2l2 7l4, now US. Pat. No. 3,802,726, describes therein a further :loor lock having a safety release device associated :herewith for permitting the lock to be unlatched from :he interior ofthe truck van. The structure disclosed in )ur copending application utilizes a safety release device which, when actuated from the interior of the .ruck van, permits the latch assembly to be easily dis- :onnected, at least partially from the door to permit )pening of the latch door from the interior of the van. it our prior application, the latch bolt andthe actuatng handle are both pivotally mounted on a mounting late which is itself releasably attached to the door. fhus, when the release device is actuated, the mountng plate is disconnected from the door, which also re- ;ults in the actuating handle and the latch bolt being lisconnected from the door. However, the actuating iandle is designed for connection, as by means of a iadlock, to a keeper device which is permanently nounted on the door so that when the mounting plate s released from the door, it will not become totally dis- :onnected.

While the system disclosed in our above-mentioned copending application has proven highly acceptable for permitting release of the locked door while at the same time preventing total disconnection of the latch structure from the door, nevertheless it has been discovered that often the driver does not utilize a padlock or other like device for connecting the actuating handle to the keeper. In this situation, when the mounting plate is released from inside the door, then the complete door lock structure becomes totally disconnected from the door and normally drops to the ground. This is undesirable since it increases the possibility of the door lock structure becoming lost or damaged. Further, since the complete door lock structure is disconnected from the door, the remounting of the door lock structure to the door is made more difficult.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved door lock structure for an upwardly acting door wherein the door lock structure may be rapidly opened from within the closed truck van to permit a person locked within the truck van to unlock the door and open same.

In particular, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved door lock structure, as aforesaid, having a safety release device associated therewith and positioned on the inside ofthe door for permitting manual actuation of same solely from the interior of the truck van while enabling at least a majority of the lock structure to remain attached to the door in its normal operational position.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a lock structure, as aforesaid, wherein the safety release device coacts with the latch bolt so that, upon actuation of the safety device, only the latch bolt is disconnected from the door.

A still further object of this invention is to provide an improved door lock structure, as aforesaid, which is characterized by its simplicity and economy of construction, manufacture and use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The objects and purposes of the present invention, including those set forth above, have been met by providing a lock structure including catch means mounted on the bed of a truck or similar vehicle and a latch assembly mounted upon the lower end of an upwardly acting door of the truck van. The latch assembly has an actuating member which is pivotally connected to a mounting plate which is fixedly secured to the external surface of the door. The latch assembly also has a latch bolt which is pivotally supported by a releasable coupling device. The latch bolt, which has an elongated hook portion adapted for engagement with the catch means, is moved into a latched position by the actuating member, same being held in the latching position by a suitable keeper or locking device. The releasable cou pling device includes a release pin which is slidably mounted on and extends through the door. The outer end of the release pin has the latch bolt pivotally supported thereon. The inner end of the release pin has a manual actuating member, specifically a lever, connected thereto and positioned adjacent the interior side of the door. When the actuating lever is manually released from the interior of the truck van, the release pin is axially drawn inwardly causing the outer end to be retracted into the door, thereby disconnecting the release pin from the latch bolt. The latch bolt is thus totally disconnected from the door. where by the door can then be easily opened from the interior of the van. The remainder of the door lock structure remains fixedly attached to the door.

Other objects and purposes of this invention will be apparent to persons familiar with lock structures ofthis ty'pe upon reading the following specification and inspecting the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a broken. fragmentary front elevational view of a truck door and an adjacent portion of a truck bed including the lock structure embodying the invention. as viewed from the exterior of the truck and illustrating the lock structure in the locked position.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along the line IIII in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a broken elevational view of the lock structure of FIGS. I and 2 as viewed from the interior of the truck van.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along the line I\"I\' of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along the line of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary front elevational view similar to FIG. 1 except that the door is shown in a partially raised position after the safety mechanism has been released.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line VII-VII of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a broken elevational view illustrating the interior side of the truck door after the safety mechanism has been released.

FIG. 9 is an elevational view similar to FIG. I but illustrating a modified structure.

Certain terminology will be used in the following description for convenience in reference only. For example. the words up." down." -left" and "right" will refer to directions in the drawings to which reference is made. The word "front" will have reference to the exterior side of the lock structure as viewed from the rear of the truck van and as appearing in FIGS. 1 and 6. whereas the word "rear" will refer to the side of the lock structure disposed adjacent the interior of the truck van. such as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 8. The terms "inner" and "outer" will refer to directions toward and away from the geometric center of the device and designated parts thereof. Said terminology will include the words above specifically mentioned. deriva ti es thereof. and words of similar import.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The door lock structure 10 of the present invention. as disclosed in FIG. I. is comprised of a latch assembly II mounted upon the low er end of an upwardly acting door 12 and disposed for engagement with a catch assembly 13 that is mounted in the bed I4 of an otherwise conventional truck van. of which the door I2 is a part. In this particular embodiment. the door [2 is comprised of a plurality of horizontally hinged sections I6 which are disposed in a substantially vertical plane when the door is closed. and in a substantially horiz'ontal plane ncar the roof of the van when the door is open. A resiliently flexible weather seal 17 (FIG. 2) is mounted on the lower edge of the door I2 and is engageable with the sill 14A of bed I4 in a conventional manner.

The catch assembly 131FIGS I and 2i is comprised of an elongated. substantially rectangular casing 18 which is preferably prefabricated from sheet or plate steel to form atop flange 19. a pair of side walls 21 and a pair of end walls 22. The side walls 2] and the end walls 22 define a catch chamber 23. A catch pin 24 is secured to and extends between the side it alls 21 about midway between the end walls 22.

The latch assembly has a mounting plate 26 fixedly secured. as by means of rivets 26A. to the exterior surface of the door 12 adjacent the lower edge thereof. Mounting plate 26 supports a sleevelike axle 27 lFIG. 2: which projects outwardly from the front surface of the plate 26. The axle 27 is fixedly secured to the plate 26. as by welding. The axle 27 has an opening 28 extending therethrough. which opening also extends through the mounting plate 26.

A manually operated le er or actuating member 29. commonly referred to as the lock handle. is rotatably supported on the axle 27. and is comprised of a housing 31 having a front wall 32 (FIG. 2) and a rear wall 33 which are interconnected by a peripheral wall 34 having a substantial opening 36 (FIG. ll formed therein. The opening 36 is along the lower side of the housing 31 when the lock handle 29 is in the latching position of FIG. I. The rear wall 33 of housing 31 has an open ing through which the axle 27 extends to pi otally support the handle 29. The handle 29 also has an integral arm or handle portion 37 which projects from the housing 31 lengthwise thereof and substantially radially of the axle 27.

The latch assembly II also has a latch bolt 38 having a shank 42 which is rotatably' supported at its upper end upon a release pin 39. whereby the bolt 38 is pivotally swingable about the axis 41 of the pin 39. The axis 4] is aligned with the axis of the axle 27 whereby the han dle 29 is pivotally movable about the axis 4] relative to both the door 12 and the latch bolt 38.

The latch bolt 38 has an elongated arcuate book 43 integral with the outer end of the shank 42. which hook 43 has a slightly cammed inner surface 44. The portion of surface 44 adjacent shank 42 is nearer to axis 4I than is the portion of surface 44 adjacent the free end of the hook 43. The center of gravity of the latch bolt 38. hen it is pivotally supported by the pin 39. is in the book 43 adjacent the shank 42. Thus. gravity urges the latch bolt 38 into its locked position as illustrated in FIG. 1. However. the edge 46 of the peripheral wall 34 limits movement of the latch bolt 38 in the latching direction. and the edge 47 limits movement of the bolt 38 in the opposite direction relative to the lever or handle 29. The peripheral wall 34 also has a radially projecting. integral flange 48 adjacent the edge 47 thereof for a purpose to be explained hereinafter.

An unlatched keeper SI is pi\otally mounted upon a pivot pin 52 which is rigidly secured to the mounting plate 26 near the housing SI. The keeper SI has a cam surface S3 on its upper end and a hook 54 near to and below the surface 53. The keeper SI has a counter balance So which extends in the opposite radial direction from the hook S4 relative to the pin 52. The counter balance tends to move into a depending position whereby flange 48 will strike the cammed edge 53 above the book 54 as the handle 29 is moved into its fully unlatched position. This engagement of keeper SI pivots same counterclockwise in FIG. 1 so that the flange 48 can move below the hook 54. after which the force of gravity acting on the counter balance 56, pivots the hook 54 into engagement with said flange 48 whereby the handle 29 and the bolt 38 are held in the unlatched position (not shown).

A latched keeper S7 is sleeved upon a pivot pin 58. The pivot pin 58 is rigidly secured to a support plate 59 which is riveted directly to the door 12. A downwardly and frontwardly projecting flange 61 is located at the outer end of the handle 29 and is positioned adjacent a lug 62 on the keeper 57 when said keeper is suspended from the pivot pin 58 and the, handle 29 is in its latching position. The flange 61 and the lug 62, when the latch assembly 11 is in its latched position illustrated in FIG. 1, have aligned openings for reception of a locking element, such as a conventional padlock 63 or a sealing band (not shown).

The keeper 57 has an arcuate edge portion 64 which extends over and is engageable by the upper edge of the flange 61 when the keeper 57 is in its normal depending position. Accordingly, if the latch bolt 38 should accidentally tend to work loose from the catch pin 24, due to irregular movements of the truck, for example, the arcuate flange 64 in the path of the flange 61 will positively prevent the handle 29 from rotating in a counterclockwise direction (FIG. 1) so that disengagement of the bolt 38 from the pin 24 is positively prevented.

When the handle 29 is returned from its unlatched position to its latching position of FIG. 1, the flange 61 strikes the upper flange 66 of the keeper 57 on the leftward side of the pivot pin 58 and thereby pivots the keeper 57 in a counterclockwise direction (FIG. 1) until the flange 61 reaches a position below the arcuate flange 64, whereupon the keeper 57 will swing under the force of gravity into its FIG. 1 position and thereby block upward movement of the flange 61, hence the handle 29.

The length and radius of the arcuate flange 64 are preferably selected so that the flange 64 cannot be moved away from a position obstructing the upward movement of the flange 61 when a conventional sealing band or padlock 63 is passed through the aligned openings in the flange 61 and lug 62.

The support plate 59 has an integral stop 67 which projects outwardly therefrom adjacent the inner side of the flange 61. The outer end of the handle portion 37 has a rearwardly opening recess 68 (FIG. 1) into which the stop 67 extends when the handle 29 is in its latched position.

The latch assembly 11 as described above, except for the mounting arrangement for the latch bolt 38, substantially corresponds to the latch structure disclosed in US. Pat. No. 3,6423 I4, and thus further description thereof is not believed necessary.

To permit opening of the door 12 when the latch structure 11 is in the latched or locking position illustrated in FIG. I, the present invention provides a re Ieasable coupling device 71 for releasably mounting the latch bolt 38 on the door 12. The releasable coupling device 71, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, includes the previously mentioned release pin 39 which pivotally supports thereon the latch bolt 38. The coupling device 71 also includes a sleeve 72 disposed within an opening 73 formed within and extending through the door 12, which sleeve 72 is fixedly secured relative to the door, such as by being welded to the mounting plate 26. The release pin 39 is disposed within and slidably extends through the sleeve 72, with the rearward end of the release pin 39 being slidably supported on a plate 74 which is fixedly secured to the inner end of the sleeve 72. The forward end of the release pin 39 is slid-ably supported within and extends through the axle opening 28, and also slidably extends through an opening 76 formed in the latch bolt 38 whereby the latch bolt is pivotally supported on the pin 39. The forward end of the pin 39 extends into a blind bore 77 which is formed on the inner surface of the front housing wall 32, whereby the wall 32 totally encloses the forward end of the pin 39 to prevent the pin 39 from being accessible exteriorly of the truck van,

The release pin 39 is provided with a compression spring 78 in surrounding relationship therewith, which spring coacts between the plate 74 and a flange 79 secured to the pin, whereby the spring 78 resiliently urges the release pin 39 forwardly (leftwardly in FIG. 2) so that same extends through the aligned openings 28 and 76 for pivotally supporting the latch bolt 38.

To permit the coupling device 71 to be released. there is provided a manual release mechanism 81 (FIG. 3) positioned adjacent the interior side of the door 12, whereby same is accessible from the interior of the truck van. The manual release mechanism 81 includes an elongated handle or lever 82 which has a forklike end portion 83 stradling the inner end of the release pin 39 and pivotally connected thereto by means ofa pivot pin 84. The handle 82, which is mounted for swinging movement within a plane passing through the axis 41, is normally disposed when in its storage position within a substantially pie-shaped recess 86 formed within the door section 16. A substantially U-shaped security clip 87 is disposed within the recess 86 and is fixedly secured to the door section 16, such as by being secured to the wall 88 (FIGS. 4 and 5). The security clip 87 coacts with the handle 82 for preventing accidental release of same.

The security clip 87, in the illustrated embodiment. has a substantially horizontal bottom flange 89 which projects outwardly from the wall 88 and terminates in a substantially vertical flange 91 which projects upwardly from the flange 89. The upper edge of flange 91 in turn terminates in a short horizontal top flange or tab 92 which projects inwardly toward the surface 88. The security clip 87 receives therein the handle 82, substantially as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, so that the handle cannot be accidentally swung outwardly into a release position. The handle 82 and bottom flange 89 also have openings (not shown) therethrough which are substantially aligned with one another when the handle is in the storage positioned illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, whereby a suitable sealing band 93 can be threaded through the aligned openings if desired.

The handle 82 is provided on the forked end 83 thereof with portions 94 which project beyond the pivot pin 84 and function as cams. When the handle 82 is swung from the storage position of FIGS. 2-5. wherein the handle is disposed substantially parallel to the door, to the use position of FIGS. 7 and 8, wherein the handle extends substantially perpendicular to the plane of the door, the projecting earns 94 bear against the plate 74 and cause the pin 39 to be pulled inwardly (riglitwardly in FIG. 2) into the interior of the truck van to withdraw the outer end ofthe pin from the open ings 76 and 77.

The door 12 is also provided with a conventional lift handle 96 pivotally mounted on the interior surface thereof. which lift handle 96 is generally mounted closely adjacent but above the manual release mechanism 81 to permit a person within the truck van interior to manually grasp both the handle 82 and the handle 96 at the same time.

OPERATION The operation of the door lock structure It] will be briefly described to insure a complete understanding thereof.

Assuming that the latch assembly I l is initially in its unlatched position (not shown) wherein the flange 48 of handle 29 is engaged beneath the hook S4 of the keeper 51, then the keeper 5] will be manually swung (counterclockwise in FIG. I) to release the flange 48. Handle 29 will then be swung towards its latched position (clockwise in FIG. I). which will cause edge 47 to engage the latch bolt 38 to thus also swing the latch bolt towards a position of engagement with the catch pin 24. Since the upper surface 44 of hook 43 is cammed, the free end thereof passes easily beneath the catch pin 24 until the surface 44 firmly engages the pin. As the handle portion 37 is moved into ts latched position of FIG. 1, engagement of the shank 42 by the edge 47 insures a firm engagement of the cam surface 44 with the catch pin 24. Thereafter. should the door [2 be jarred or shifted downwardly, as during operation of the truck, gravity urges the latch bolt 38 in a clockwise direction thereby taking up any slack that may develop between the cam surface 44 and the pin 24.

As the latch assembly moves into its latched position, the handle flange 61 engages the keeper flange 64 and pivots the keeper S7 in a counterclockwise direction about the pivot pin 58 until the handle flange 61 can move past the keeper so to engage the stop 67. The keeper 57 then swings in the opposite direction (clock wise in FIG. I) so that the arcuate flange 64 moves back into a position wherein it is disposed directly above the upper end of the handle portion 37, whereby the keeper lug 62 is then disposed directly adjacent the handle flange 61, A suitable connecting device, such a sealing band or a padlock 63, can then be inserted through the openings in the flange 61 and lug 62 to fixedly secure the handle 29 in the latched position.

When it is desired to release the latch assembly 11 from its latched position, the keeper S7 is manually swung (counterclockwise in FIG. I] to move the arcuate flange 64 away from the handle portion 37, whereupon the handle portion 37 can then be manually swung (counterclockwise in FIG. I) away from keeper 57 toward the keeper SI. This swinging of handle portion 37 causes edge 46 to engage the latch bolt 38 to thus move same out from beneath the catch pin 24. When handle portion 37 approaches the keeper 5], the flange 48 strikes the cam surface 53 causing the keeper S1 to swing in a counterclockwise direction, where upon the flange 48 passes under the hook 54, whereby counter balance 56 causes the keeper 5] to swing back in a clockwise direction to position the hook 54 over the flange 48 to thus hold the handle 29 and latch bolt 38 in a released position.

When the latched assembly 11 is in the latched position illustrated in FIG. I, and if a person is inadver tently locked within the interior of the truck van, then the door 12 can be rapidly unlatchcd from the interior of the van due to the provision of the release mecha nism 81 and the rcleasably coupling device 71. Referring particularly to FIGS. 2 5, the person in this situation, located within the tight interior of the truck van, would initially break the seam 93 to release the handle 82 from the security clip 87. The handle 82 is then manually grasped and pivoted horizontally toward the bottom wall 88 ofthe recess 86 until the handle reaches the position illustrated by dotted lines in FIG. 4, in which position the handle is spaced inwardly from the upper flange or tab 92. The pivoting of the handle 82 into the dotted position illustrated in FIG. 4 causes a slight retraction of the pin 39 in opposition to the urging of the spring 78. When the handle reaches the dotted position illustrated in FIG. 4, the operator then swings the handle 82 vertically upwardly until the handle is positioned above the security clip 87, as illus trated by dotted lines in FIG. 3. The handle 82 is then manually pivoted outwardly away from the inner surface of the door, which pivoting of the handle contin ues until the handle is substantially transverse to the door as illustrated in FIG. 7. As the handle 82 is pivotally swung into the released position of FIG. 7, the elongated cam projections 94 bear against the stationary plate 74, thereby causing the release pin 39 to be drawn axially toward the interior of the van in opposition to the urging of the spring 78. This thus causes the outer end of the pin 39 to be axially withdrawn from the blind bore 77 formed in the housing 31 and the opening 76 formed in the latch bolt 38, the pin 39 being withdrawn to assume the position illustrated in FIG. 7. When the handle reaches the position illustrated in FIG. 7, which causes complete withdrawal of the release pin 39, the latch bolt 38 is thus totally disconnected from the door 12. Assuming that the catch box I8 opens downwardly, this permits the latch bolt 38 to drop freely downwardly away from the catch pin 24. Since the latch bolt 38 is totally disconnected from the door, the person within the truck van can then grasp the handle 96 and lift the door 12 upwardly away from the bed 14. The door 12 can be freely moved into its fully opened position, carrying with it the complete latch assembly 11 except for the latch bolt 38, whereupon the person can then freely exit the van.

Since only the latch bolt 38 is disconnected from the door when the safety mechanism is released, all of the other components of the latch structure remain connected to the door and movable therewith. This thus prevents the latch device from being accidentally lost, misplaced or damaged and at the same time permits the person within the van to easily and rapidly escape from the van. Further, after the safety mechanism has been released, the complete door lock structure 10 can be easily reassembled for use in a conventional manner merely by reinserting the upper end of the latch bolt into the housing 38, and then releasing the handle 82 from the FIG. 7 position so that the pin 39 will again extend through the opening 76 to pivotally connect the latch bolt 38 to the door 12. The complete latch structure is thus easily reassembled so that further usage of the truck van may be continued.

While the invention as described above, and as illustrated in FIGS. 1-8, utilizes a pivotal keeper 57 posi tioned for coaction with the handle 29, which handle and keeper further utilize a padlock or seal for interconnecting same, it will be readily apparent that numerous other devices could be provided for coaction with the handle 29 so as to maintain same in the latched position illustrated in FIG 1. For example, FIG. 9 illustrates therein a key operated lock structure 99 which is mounted on the exterior surface of the door 12 and which coaets with the outer end of the handle portion 37 for fixedly maintaining same in the latched position. Any desirable type of lock structure 99 may be utilized, and suitable such lock structure are disclosed in US. Pat. No. 3.740.978 and U.S. Pat. application Scr. No. 4l L802. both owned by the assignee of this application.

Although a particular preferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed for illustrative purposes, it will be recognized that variations or modifications of the disclosed apparatus. including the rearrangement of parts. lie within the scope of the present invention.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

l. A door lock structure for an upwardly acting door of a truck van, comprising:

latch means mounted on said door adjacent one side thereof, said latch means including mounting plate means disposed adjacent said one side of said door and fixedly mounted relative to said door, and an actuating member pivotally mounted on said mounting plate means;

said latch means further including a latch bolt pivotally supported on said mounting plate means; catch means adapted to be mounted on the bed of a truck and positioned for engagement with said latch bolt when the lower edge of said door is adjacent with said bed and said catch means;

releasable coupling means movably carried by said door for normally connecting said latch bolt to said mounting plate means while permitting pivotal movement of said latch bolt relative to said mounting plate means, said coupling means when disengaged causing said latch bolt to be totally disconnected from the remainder of said latch means, the remainder of said latch means remaining connected to said door; and

release means accessible only from the other side of said door and connectible to said coupling means for selectively disengaging said coupling means to disconnect said latch bolt from said mounting plate means, whereby said latch bolt is totally disconnected from said door so that said door may be moved toward an open position without prior disconnection of said latch means from said catch means.

2. A structure according to claim I, wherein said releasable coupling means includes pin means movably supported on said door and movable between a first position wherein said pin means engages said latch bolt and a second position wherein said pin means is disengaged from said latch bolt, said pin means when in said first position defining a pivot axis for said bolt for permitting same to swingably move relative to said door so as to be movable into engagement with said catch means.

3. A structure according to claim 2, wherein said pin means comprises a pin slidably carried by said door and extending therethrough, said pin having one end thereof projecting outwardly beyond said one side of said door when said pin is in said first position, the other end of said pin being disposed adjacent said other side of said door, and said release means being connected to said other end of said pin for permitting said pin to be axially retracted relative to said door from said first position into said second position.

4. A structure according to claim 3, wherein said latch bolt is mounted for pivotal movement about an axis defined by the longitudinally extending axis of said pin, and said latch bolt being pivotally supported upon said one end of said pin.

5. A structure according to claim 3, wherein said actuating member is mounted for pivotal movement relative to said mounting plate means about an axis which is aligned with the pivot axis of said latch bolt.

6. A structure according to claim 5, wherein said actuating member comprises a leverlike handle having a housing portion defined on one end thereof which totally surrounds and encloses said one end of said pin for preventing access to said pin from said one side of said door.

7. A structure according to claim 3, further including spring means coacting with said pin for normally urging same toward said first position, and said latch bolt being supported on said pin.

8. A structure according to claim 7, wherein said release means includes a lever handle pivotally mounted on said door adjacent said other side thereof and disposed for swinging movement within a plane containing therein the longitudinal axis of said pin.

9. A structure according to claim 2, wherein said mounting plate means includes a sleevelike axle fixedly secured thereto and projecting outwardly therefrom, said actuating member comprising an elongated leverlike handle pivotally supported on said axle for pivotal movement relative to said plate means about a pivot axis defined by the longitudinally extending axis of said sleevelike axle, said pin means being slidably' positioned within and supported on said axle so that the longitudinal axis of said pin means is aligned with the axis of said axle, and said latch bolt having an annular bearing portion on the upper end thereof said pin projecting into said annular bearing portion for supporting said latch bolt for pivotal movement relative to both said mounting plate means and said handle about said axis.

10. A structure according to claim 9, wherein said release means includes movable handle means operalively connected to said pin means adjacent said other side of said door for axially retracting said pin means in a direction from said one side of said door toward said other side of said door for withdrawing said pin means from said annular bearing portion. whereby said latch bolt is totally disconnected from said door.

* i t i 

1. A door lock structure for an upwardly acting door of a truck van, comprising: latch means mounted on said door adjacent one side thereof, said latch means including mounting plate means disposed adjacent said one side of said door and fixedly mounted relative to said door, and an actuating member pivotally mounted on said mounting plate means; said latch means further including a latch bolt pivotally supported on said mounting plate means; catch means adapted to be mounted on the bed of a truck and positioned for engagement with said latch bolt when the lower edge of said door is adjacent with said bed and said catch means; releasable coupling means movably carried by said door for normally connecting said latch bolt to said mounting plate means while permitting pivotal movement of said latch bolt relative to said mounting plate means, said coupling means when disengaged causing said latch bolt to be totally disconnected from the remainder of said latch means, the remainder of said latch means remaining connected to said door; and release means accessible only from the other side of said door and connectible to said coupling means for selectively disengaging said coupling means to disconnect said latch bolt from said mounting plate means, whereby said latch bolt is totally disconnected from said door so that said door may be moved toward an open position without prior disconnection of said latch means from said catch means.
 2. A structure according to claim 1, wherein said releasable coupling means includes pin means movably supported on said door and movable between a first position wherein said pin means engages said latch bolt and a second position wherein said pin means is disengaged from said latch bolt, said pin means when in said first position defining a pivot axis for said bolt for permitting same to swingably move relative to said door so as to be movable into engagement with said catch means.
 3. A structure according to claim 2, wherein said pin means comprises a pin slidablY carried by said door and extending therethrough, said pin having one end thereof projecting outwardly beyond said one side of said door when said pin is in said first position, the other end of said pin being disposed adjacent said other side of said door, and said release means being connected to said other end of said pin for permitting said pin to be axially retracted relative to said door from said first position into said second position.
 4. A structure according to claim 3, wherein said latch bolt is mounted for pivotal movement about an axis defined by the longitudinally extending axis of said pin, and said latch bolt being pivotally supported upon said one end of said pin.
 5. A structure according to claim 3, wherein said actuating member is mounted for pivotal movement relative to said mounting plate means about an axis which is aligned with the pivot axis of said latch bolt.
 6. A structure according to claim 5, wherein said actuating member comprises a leverlike handle having a housing portion defined on one end thereof which totally surrounds and encloses said one end of said pin for preventing access to said pin from said one side of said door.
 7. A structure according to claim 3, further including spring means coacting with said pin for normally urging same toward said first position, and said latch bolt being supported on said pin.
 8. A structure according to claim 7, wherein said release means includes a lever handle pivotally mounted on said door adjacent said other side thereof and disposed for swinging movement within a plane containing therein the longitudinal axis of said pin.
 9. A structure according to claim 2, wherein said mounting plate means includes a sleevelike axle fixedly secured thereto and projecting outwardly therefrom, said actuating member comprising an elongated leverlike handle pivotally supported on said axle for pivotal movement relative to said plate means about a pivot axis defined by the longitudinally extending axis of said sleevelike axle, said pin means being slidably positioned within and supported on said axle so that the longitudinal axis of said pin means is aligned with the axis of said axle, and said latch bolt having an annular bearing portion on the upper end thereof, said pin projecting into said annular bearing portion for supporting said latch bolt for pivotal movement relative to both said mounting plate means and said handle about said axis.
 10. A structure according to claim 9, wherein said release means includes movable handle means operatively connected to said pin means adjacent said other side of said door for axially retracting said pin means in a direction from said one side of said door toward said other side of said door for withdrawing said pin means from said annular bearing portion, whereby said latch bolt is totally disconnected from said door. 